Not falling short of love
by you-make-me-wander
Summary: Lydia starts wearing flats and Stiles teases her about it.


**Not falling short of love**

Stiles shouldn't be smiling, just like he shouldn't be holding _her_ gaze. And he also shouldn't be checking _her_ out when his ex-girlfriend - still girlfriend as far as their friends know because the breakup is very recent, like a week recent and Stiles hasn't told anyone yet - is only three feet away from him. But he's smiling and he's definitely not looking away. And even if Malia is right there, he doesn't care. Because Lydia is looking right at him, studying his features with a curious expression of her own and he likes it. And he wants more of it.

He hasn't looked at her properly in a while. At least not until very recently, when she started catching his eye again and now that she's looking back at him... Well, he's not gonna stop. Because even if they are a good ten feet away from each other right now, he can clearly see Lydia's cheeks turning rosy and that she's biting her lower lip looking at him with the same intent he's looking at her. Stiles feels heat rush up to his cheeks but it doesn't faze him, only makes him smile wider.

Lydia is aware that they're not supposed to be doing this, not right now when they're surrounded by friends, definitely not when Stiles has a girlfriend that's not Lydia. But like Stiles, she doesn't care because truth be told, Stiles looks good, too good for her not to pretend that she doesn't care anymore. And he's looking back at her with that spark in his eyes that she hadn't seen in months, the one she knows it's just for her, so Lydia takes a small step back, hiding a little more behind Kira so that she can enjoy his attention freely, so that the group doesn't notice her 'interaction' with Stiles. If he's not backing out, she isn't either. Stiles does the same thing, a mirroring step taken behind a boy from his class.

It's a Friday afternoon and Scott, Kira, Stiles, Lydia and Malia are just outside of school discussing plans for the weekend with some of their classmates because it's senior year and nostalgia has been hitting everyone lately so they want to do things together, but Stiles and Lydia have been oblivious to most of the discussion for a while now, mostly standing outside of the circle the others are in. Everyone else seems engrossed in their own conversations so no one seems to notice Stiles and Lydia's slight distancing from them; both Stiles and Lydia grin. Lydia crosses her arms at her chest defying him, patiently waiting for whatever he seems to be doing with a playful smile on her lips. Stiles, on his part, makes sure to take notice of everything he can because something seems off about Lydia today and that's what caught his attention, even if he's not quite sure what it is yet, his investigative instincts surfacing with a grimace.

Her hair is immaculate as always, long locks of strawberry blonde hair dancing close to her waist. Her makeup is perfect, just the way he likes it; simple, extolling her natural beauty. She's wearing a red dress today that, like many others, shows a little bit of her cleavage; not too much but just enough to have his mind wandering, much like the hem of its skirt, brushing her thighs at the passing of the soft wind. Her manicured fingers are blissfully tapping on her arms drawing attention to them, but Stiles doesn't pause. His quest is also not deterred when someone - he's not even sure who - asks him something and he just nods, not paying attention to what's happening outside of their sacred bubble.

When the conversation continues between the rest of the group and the spotlight isn't on him anymore, Stiles continues his exploration of Lydia. Happily, he should add, because Lydia's legs are for sure a highlight on his dreams where he takes the longest time just admiring them, getting to know every inch of skin she has to offer. Much to his dismay, he doesn't take long staring at them this time; better not get a boner at the moment, should be fun for him trying to explain that! Lowering his gaze from her legs to her feet he finds it, the thing that's wrong with her. Well, not wrong because she's still Lydia, _his_ Lydia, only a little different and Stiles has to admit that he never thought he'd see the day.

Because the only times he's seen her off her heels was when she'd be barefoot either lying down on his bed or roaming around in fugue states, so it comes as a shock that Lydia Martin, _his_ Lydia Martin, is wearing flats. And in public, like it's some ordinary occurrence. In fact, Stiles is so shocked that he just stares at her, mouth agape, causing Lydia to burst out laughing at the face he's making. And it's so unnatural for Lydia to do such a thing that everyone turns their attentions to her, giving Lydia strange looks. Thankfully she takes her phone out of her pocket just in time so she quickly dismisses her outburst with it, saying she just got a funny text.

For a split second, Stiles feels smug. It's not often that he gets such a vivacious reaction out of the banshee and he loves it. He's missed it terribly and he knows it's partially his fault. Dating Malia had its effects on his relationship with Lydia and he couldn't have it anymore. Trying to explain to the werecoyote that his heart belonged to someone else had been, to say the least, interesting because Malia isn't dumb; she knew exactly who Stiles was talking about even if he didn't say _her_ name. They still parted amicably, not that Malia hadn't stirred things a little bit but they're mostly okay. That's probably why no one noticed they're not together anymore. Probably not even Lydia, come to think about it.

Lydia looks amused. With a raised brow and a grin, Stiles nods looking at her feet like he's asking for an explanation. Lydia just shrugs her shoulders and smiles. Their moment is disrupted when the group dismantles and everyone starts to leave. Malia takes off immediately, which surprises Lydia because Stiles doesn't even seem bothered by it. Scott starts dragging an annoyed Stiles away, talking about things Stiles hadn't been paying attention to in the minutes before while Kira starts rambling with Lydia about the same topic.

Lydia watches _him_ walk away until he and Scott are out of her sight and it takes her almost ten minutes to get rid of Kira. And don't get her wrong because she loves Kira, but the girl wouldn't stop babbling about something Lydia wasn't interested in the slightest, and she'd much prefer it was someone else talking – even rambling - with her right now. When she's finally alone, she crosses the parking lot to get to her car as her mind wanders.

She knows why she did it, why she let Stiles do whatever that was with her; she misses Stiles, she likes him, nothing new there. But why would Stiles do it? Malia was right there and they've been dating for months. And both Stiles and Lydia have been neglecting their relationship, which is partially her fault because she's done pretending; she has been for a while. She can't stand being close to the both of them for long because she knows that, at some point, she'd have to make a snarky remark at their PDA and start rolling her eyes and Lydia didn't want things to get even more weird, so she backed out. She's only with the couple when she specifically has to and that's that. But not today. Today was different. Not only Stiles and Malia barely talked, but the boy was giving his undivided, speechless, attention to Lydia, like he'd done so many times before long ago.

The banshee comes up with an answer - one that she wholeheartedly hopes she's right about - around the same time she hears the loud thuds on the asphalt behind her in a decreasing pace as she's approached. And like it's some sort of sign, she grins. Lydia grins because she's 100% sure that it's Stiles, it has to be.

"I didn't know you owned anything but heels."

She can hear the sweetness in his voice along with the smile she knows is depicted on his lips. When she turns around to face him, she's blushing but she stands straight, somehow trying to make up for her shortness by doing so. It only makes Stiles laugh. "There are a lot of things you don't know."

Stiles catches up to her quickly. "For a moment there I thought you'd already left school, but then I thought _'Nah, she lost four inches, there's no way she could have gone far'_."

"I could have run," she bites back, entertained.

"You only run when there's danger, Lydia."

"Actually, I've been training."

It takes him by surprise that he didn't know that and it makes him feel a little guilty that he hasn't be giving Lydia enough attention lately, but it reminds him. "Is that what the pants are about?" Because yes, aside from the newfound flats, he has heard about Lydia wearing pants at least three times in the last week even if he hasn't seen it first-hand yet. It's something that he'll never complain about, really. He does like to see her in a dress but seeing Lydia in leggings... Yeah, he can live with looking at her ass anytime, thank you very much, and if it's shaped by leggings, the better.

"Yeah. Scott has been helping me."

Another pinch at his heart. Why hasn't Scott said anything about it? "So leggings _and_ flats?" he asks in disbelief. "Who are you and what have you done with Lydia Martin?"

_She's right here_, she thinks to herself, a little sadness engulfing her. It's been better lately, but it was exceptionally hard for her in the beginning, after Allison's death. She thought Stiles would be there for her and he was, just not as much as she expected. Lydia doesn't blame him, but it still upsets her a little. "I just needed a change, I guess."

He notices how for a moment her features seem more accentuated than before. He tries to make it better with a little banter. "I'm not saying it doesn't suit you, but I kind of miss the 5'3 strawberry blonde that would strut in her high heels, making such a distinctive sound that I'd know it was her from, like, two hallways away," he chuckles.

"Well, at least now I can sneak up on you."

He takes a step forward so that he's right in front of her, maybe a little too close. "If you do that I don't get to relish on the vision that is Lydia Martin. But then again I'll probably miss you anyway; you're so tiny I can barely see you."

She knew it was coming, that he wouldn't be able to keep his mouth shut about it like it's a biological need of his to be sarcastic and crack jokes. It doesn't annoy her much but if she can mess with Stiles to get back at him, she will. Rolling her eyes at his comment - something she missed doing so much just to get on his nerves -, she turns around and walks away from him in a fast pace. It doesn't get quite the effect she wanted without her heels but she still smiles knowing that Stiles, _her_ Stiles, is back. She missed him.

It doesn't take long for him to catch up with her, of course, laughing loudly and effortlessly. He only stops when he's right in front of her, making Lydia come to a halt when they're almost chest to chest. By then they've reached her car and both, discreetly, make sure to walk around it so that they're mostly hidden from prying eyes. Giving her his goofy grin, he mutters a "Sorry, Lyds" that has Lydia almost swooning.

Pretending his smile is not warming her up - like that could happen -, Lydia purses her lips and looks up at him and that's when she realizes he kind of has a point because he looks much, much taller than her right now; she barely reaches his shoulders. Lydia wants to place a hand on his chest but refrains. He's not hers. "Am I so tiny that you need to be this close to see me?"

He takes a moment to answer. He wants to hold her hand but he's not sure if she wants him to, so instead his left hand brushes her right hand softly. "Maybe I missed you," he confesses. When she doesn't look away, he whispers "I never lost sight of you, you know?"

Lydia looks down. Tentatively, she sprawls her fingers close to his and entwines them. No one is in the parking lot with them anyways so she takes a leap of faith. It's been a good two, almost three months, since she held his hand last. "What about Malia?" she asks, not looking up.

Stiles smiles fondly and squeezes her hand. "Done, over. Wasn't soon enough."

She couldn't hide her grin if she tried. Looking up at him again, Lydia tries her best not to get lost on his lips. His beautiful, mesmerizing, rosy, full lips. "When?"

He pouts. "A week ago."

"Are you okay?"

His gaze pierces into her eyes in such an intimate way that Lydia blushes. He moves his right hand to tuck her hair behind her ear, his thumb brushing her cheek as he does so. "Perfect."

She's not sure how they ended up here. How the Lydia she was and the Stiles he was got to where they are now, all secret smiles and light touches, occasional blushing to complement their good friendship. She doesn't know and she doesn't care. She wants more. "I missed you too", she murmurs.

Stiles lets go of her and opens his arms with an endearing smile. "Come here." Lydia does not hesitate. Wrapping his arms around her in a hug, Stiles settles his chin on top of her head and they stay still for a while. "I like this."

She doesn't move. "What?" she mumbles.

"Lydia Martin without heels."

Lydia chuckles. The vibrations of her laughter reverberate through his chest. "And why is that?"

"I get to do this."

It's not like they haven't hugged before. "What do you mean?"

"If you had your heels on, I wouldn't be able to rest my head on top of yours. It's nice. Perfect height, just like this."

Lydia hides her blush against him and Stiles misses it, but he still feels the way her cheek lifts up against his chest when she smiles. "I thought you were gonna make fun of me," she says.

"Oh I will, don't worry." Lydia pinches him. "Ouch." She laughs again. "For someone so small you sure have some strength, uh?"

She hugs him a little tighter. "And you haven't seen anything yet."

"Maybe I would have if you were in heels and not at ground level, you know?" he teases.

Lydia steps away from him. She really wants to seem annoyed but she can help the smile that escapes her lips nonetheless. "Stop it."

He grins. "Stop what?"

Much like Stiles, Lydia can't stop smiling. "Stop making fun of me."

"What?" He feigns shock. "I wouldn't dare to do such a thing."

"But you are."

"Defying Lydia Martin? I don't have a death wish, Lyds."

"I think that's debatable," she says, tilting her head and remembering briefly all the times he has put himself in danger for the rest of the pack.

"Now that's mean," he answers with a frown, taking a step forward to reach her again.

"Worse than making fun of me for being small?" Lydia bites her lower lip at his closeness, this time gathering up the courage to tug at his shirt and pull him down slightly. "Am I not enough for you?" The words are almost whispered to his lips.

"Are you serious right now?" He cocks an eyebrow at her. "Look at you. You look like those chicken nuggets, you know, so small, tiny, minuscule really…"

She interrupts his rambling. "Are you comparing me to food, Stilinski?"

"Yes I am. Because I like chicken nuggets. Like really, _really_ like them. I might even love them."

"Well, that's some analogy." She gets on her tiptoes and, looking right at him, her lips brush his and it takes her all that she has not to kiss him right there. "Let's just hope those nuggets love you back. You sound really passionate about them."

He lowers his forehead to touch hers. "I am."

"Good. They might love you back indeed." She revels in the smile Stiles gives her, probably the most genuine she has ever seen on his features. "Even when you keep saying how small they are."

He laughs. "I wasn't complaining. They're still cute regardless their size. And beautiful, perfect… And smart, they're so smart," he adds with a smirk.

She rolls her eyes playfully. "I know." Lydia taps his chest with an endearing smile on her lips before stepping away from him. "Now shut it."

"I don't know if I'm physically able of doing that. I think babbling and being sarcastic is in my DNA."

Lydia rounds her car until she's on the driver's side. Stiles doesn't move, just watches her walk away from him. "It'd be a waste not to put that mouth to a better use, you know," she says, biting her lip again. Stiles blushes and Lydia grins. "Especially now that you're free to appreciate your nuggets as you want." Stiles looks like he stopped breathing and Lydia laughs. She opens her door. "Just give it some thought."

Lydia gets into her car and Stiles is frozen for a moment. When he gains his senses, he taps on the window and she lowers it. His heart falters. "I'm done thinking about it, Lyds. More than done. Are you free tomorrow?"

Much like his, Lydia's heart skips a beat. "I might just be."

"Wanna have lunch?"

Turning on the engine, Lydia smiles. "Definitely."

"I'll pick you up at noon then." Stiles backs away so she can leave and smiles wide. "And bring flats. I'm warming up to them."

xxxxxxxxxx

The fact that Lydia ends up wearing flats more often than not has obviously nothing to do with how many times Stiles hugs her close from that day on, kissing the top of her head and teasing her anytime he can as he does so, the same way that it comes to no surprise to everyone that Stiles and Lydia start dating a month later, unable to hide it anymore.

**Author's note: This one-shot is based on a post I wrote on tumblr and it wouldn't leave my mind. Also, the nuggets kind of made their way into this, I don't really know how; it wasn't how it was supposed to go but I really like how it turned out. Please leave a comment; I'd love to hear your thoughts on the story! I'm you-make-me-wander on tumblr 3**


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